Now that Mahabharat Murders is coming to streaming on Hoichoi

Now that Mahabharata Murders is being adapted cinematically on Hoichoi, what is the best outcome for me?

Increased book sales? Marginal impact.

On the road to promotion to Bengali intellectual? I don’t swing that way.

Adulation among bongo-lolonas? Next…

What I can hope, at the maximum, is respect in the NRI Bengali community. There are many levels of respect, and like sponsorship of US Bongo sommelon, they are at bronze, silver, gold, platinum and then of course Ma Mati Manush level

Bronze level is recognition at local NRI Durga Pujo, in the greater LA area, as in “oh I saw that programme based on your book on Hoichoi, you are that omukh lekhok, accha do you know Srijit Mukherjee?”

Silver is same but with free admission to ashtamir bhojon and people taking selfies and posting it on their social media, with the tag “promukh lekhok”

Gold is when you are invited to NRI Durga Pujos outside the local calling area, as a special guest, under the tag “sombhranto lekhok” which includes speech, and as I had once read in a program announcement in Maryland for a famous person “for 25 dollars more, you can get intimate time with”. Yes I will offer intimacy for a price, not less than 30 dollars (inflation is crazy now) Gold means you stay at the house of the Durga pujo President, and you have a photo opportunity there too, though you may have to sit through his teenage daughters disinterestedly signing Rabindrasangeet.

Platinum means front row seats at annual Bongosomnelon, special platinum pass, hotel, drinking with the Bongosommelon President and doing adda with Parambrata, selfies with all and sundry and adulation from boudis and mashimas, on the way to becoming “kingbodonti lekhok”, an achievement that is unlocked only when people you know start getting the bronze level treatment, simply because they know me.

Ma Maati Manush level means the impossible: Bengali intellectual tag forever, Bongosomman and Rajya Sabha MPship, with Dover Lane being renamed as Arnab Dharani, and a statue being constructed of me near the local para club that will have hanging around its neck, a decayed flower garland, and splatters of love from crows flying overhead.

Or as they say, a day on twitter.